Thursday, May 29, 2014

Elsker is Here!

I've talked a little bit about S.T. Bende's ELSKER SAGA before, on the blog -- and for lovers of sweet paranormal romance with a hefty dose of Norse Myth, it's a can't miss! (There's even some Thor!) And as a fellow Norse-Myth-Lovin' Author, I am compelled to bring it to your attention for the greater good (which is of course the Norse-love-ification of the world) -- so, how about some excerpt action? And a book trailer? and... well, you'll see.

You don’t win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way.

Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest to goodness Norse God - an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.

Excerpt:

“Are you sure you will be all right on the stairs?”
Ull stood in the grand hall of Cardiff Castle, glancing at the four-inch, shiny
death-traps Victoria called shoes. Since Ull’s eyes practically bugged out of
his face when he picked me up, I had no intention of changing into the
emergency flats I’d stuck in my purse. Victoria had scored another hit.

“Probably not. Walk behind me in case I fall?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“On our right, the coats of arms,” continued the
tour guide. He’d been talking for a good five minutes and I couldn’t remember a
single word. That was because Ull had started stroking the small of my back
when our tour began, and it
took all my concentration just to stay upright.

“The castle is gorgeous.” I admired the stonework
as we made our way toward the stairs. There I shifted focus to my feet, staring
at each step until I’d reached the top. “Made it.”

“And I was so hoping I would get to catch you.” Ull
came up next to me and skimmed my hand with the pads of his fingers.

“Well, the night is young and these shoes are high.
You may still get your chance.”

“Tease.” Ull kissed my palm.

“Um.” I swayed on the heels and he chuckled.

“Come, Miss Tostenson. We are losing the group.”

“Right.”

We walked the long corridor framed with paintings.
All of the history in these walls was kind of overwhelming. The castle was two
thousand years old. The oldest thing we had back in Nehalem was probably the
Homestead. Cardiff Castle had about eighteen hundred years on that farm.

“This place is huge,” I whispered when we’d caught
up to the tour. “I can’t imagine living here. How could you ever get
comfortable?”

“You get used to it,” Ull shrugged. “Find little
corners to make your own.”

“How on earth could anyone get used to all of
this?”

“When you are stuck in it every day it gets old.
Trust me.”

“Right.” Like Ull was an authority on royal
dwellings. “Living in a castle sounds sooo
terrible.”

“Depends on the day.”

“What does that mean?”

“Just that these walls did more than keep people
out -- they kept people in, too.”

I thought about my vision from Friday night -- of
Ull and me in a meadow by a castle. Huh.

“Where did you say your family lived, exactly?” I
probed.

But Ull bristled. I’d hit a nerve. “Come Kristia,
we have lost our group again.” He gently pulled me down the hall.

“You may have noticed the Animal Wall in front of
the Castle. Though William Burges designed the Wall in 1866, it was not constructed
until 1890 -- nine years after Burges’s death.” The guide lifted an eyebrow as
we caught up. “Please do try to stay
with the tour,” he admonished before turning down another corridor. The rest of
the group followed closely.

“Sorry.” I ducked my head.

Ull raised a corner of his mouth in a smile. “Why,
Kristia, you are blushing.”

“And?” I lifted my chin, and took a step back so I
stood against the wall.

“It is sweet.”
Ull paused and lifted a finger to my cheek. My knees buckled and he
grabbed my arm to steady me. The touch sent shockwaves straight to my head,
leaving me with the unnerving sensation of being underwater. I lost my bearings
again and Ull wrapped both hands around my waist to stop my fall.

“Sorry,” I mouthed. “Must be the shoes.” I couldn’t
stop staring at his eyes. They almost looked nervous.

“Must be.” He ran his finger along my jaw, stopping
to grasp my chin between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes focused on my mouth
and my heartbeat accelerated. He ran his thumb lightly over my lips. They
parted under his touch. A wave of heat shot from my lower lip straight to my
abdomen, creating a slow burn that wasn’t altogether uncomfortable. I watched
as his eyes slowly moved down then back up, lingering at the neckline of my
dress. Victoria had been right about the push-up bra.

“Must be,” I repeated.

Ull drew his eyes away from my cleavage and took a
step closer. He leaned one forearm against the wall, leaving me enveloped
between the cold stone and his warm chest. I was suddenly very dizzy.

“Kristia,” he spoke in a whisper.

“Yes?” I whispered back. Ull was looking at me with
an intensity I wasn’t prepared for. He stepped in, closing the last inch
between us.

“Look at me.” He spoke again, lifting my chin so my
lips were tilted towards his. If his body hadn’t been pressed against mine, I
would have collapsed in a heap that instant. Instead, I took a shaky breath as
Ull dropped his head. He ran his nose along my jaw line, pausing when he
reached my ear. He breathed in, the cool air sending a shiver down my neck.
With painstaking slowness he drew his nose across my cheek until our lips were
almost touching. Now when I looked into his eyes I saw something entirely
different. He was strong. Confident. And very much in control.

I let out a small sigh and immediately he covered
my mouth with his. It wasn’t a gentle kiss -- it was commanding, almost
forceful. I melted against him as he claimed my lips, moved down my jaw to
consume my neck. My insides throbbed. In that moment, I would have done
absolutely anything he asked me to.

“Kristia,” he whispered again.

“Mmm.” It was the best I could muster by way of
response.

“I think we need to stop.”

In
God’s name, why?

“Will you be joining the rest of my tour, or shall
I leave the two of you here?” The guide stood at the end of the corridor,
literally tapping his foot. Oops.

Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the ELSKER series. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.

You can follow ST Bende on Twitter @stbende, or send an e-mail to stbende@gmail.com.

And don't forget to party with us at the Facebook Elsker Book Birthday Bash, tomorrow night, where I'll be giving away some Fate of the Gods and Orc Saga e-books along with a bunch of other rockin' authors!